Airports told to improve access for disabled

The BBC correspondent Frank Gardner was left on an aircraft at Heathrow for more than an hourSTEPHEN PERRY/WALL TO WALL/BBC

The government is to clamp down on the airline industry in an attempt to improve the flying experience for passengers, including those who are disabled.

The government’s Aviation Strategy Next Steps document, is published today, two months after the BBC correspondent Frank Gardner, who uses a wheelchair, attacked an “epic fail” by Heathrow after he was left alone on an aircraft for more than an hour.

Passengers with reduced mobility are almost half as likely to have flown in the past year as other passengers, with 40 per cent saying accessibility was a factor. Ministers will consider proposals for better facilities, wheelchairs to be prioritised in baggage and an accessibility training scheme for staff.

More transparent pricing and ending single-use plastics are also proposed.

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